By Godwin Oritse, Godfrey Bivbere, & Yemie Adeoye

LAGOS—THE Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) is to meet with shipping firms over a debt of  N168.9billion  owed NIMASA  from the three percent freight rate paid on all in and out bound cargoes.

Disclosing to Vanguard in Lagos yesterday, NIMASA’s Director General, Mr Temisan Omatseye, said that if the money being owed NIMASA is paid, it will go a long way in providing the much needed infrastructures that will make the marine environment safe and secure.

Omatseye stated that while the shipping companies are owing N33.9billion, the Floating Production Storage Offloading, FPSO, are owing  N90billion by the non-payment of the 2% Cabotage Sur-charge, and the 3% Cabotage contract debt owed to the agency accruable to the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund stands at N45billion..

As a result of the debt, the NIMASA boss had wanted the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, to stop further clearance of any more vessels but for the fuel scarcity crisis currently being experienced.

He explained that NIMASA, instead of stopping the further clearance of vessels calling at the ports, decided to write the shipping companies, and immediately more than $2million was realized.

He also stated that if the amount being owed NIMASA is collected, it will be used to assist local shipping operators to acquire vessels that will meet standards that are internationally acceptable.

In a similar development, NIMASA,  a few months back, warned all International Oil Companies operating in Nigeria to register vessels operating within the Nigerian Cabotage trade.

According to Omatseye, “It has come to our attention that majority of the vessels providing marine services to International Oil and gas Companies, IOCs, in their upstream and down stream operations are not registered with NIMASA despite the clear position of the NIMASA/Cabotage Acts on this matter.”